Oacoma, South Dakota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1935 and the latest in 1990. It stands in Oacoma town. It lies in ZIP code area 57365. It stands on American Crow Creek. The Survey maps it on the Oacoma quadrangle. 386 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,385 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Population over time
2 figuresOacoma fell from 451 to 386 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 451 | |
| 2020 | 386 | -65 (-14%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1935 USGS Chamberlain quadrangle1:62500
- 1939 USGS Chamberlain quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1952 USGS Oacoma quadrangle1:24000
- 1955 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1986 USGS Chamberlain quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1990 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
36 since 2010Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 36 fires within 5 miles of Oacoma between 2010 and 2020, burning about 862 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 33 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | RR FIRE |
| 5 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | FELTMAN |
| 4 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | REST AREA FIRE |
| 4 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | I-90 |
| 25 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Brule County | PALMER |
| 21 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | TURKEY BUZZARD |
| 10 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 670 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | MAYER |
| 3 August 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | RAILROAD |
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Oacoma: 4 past producers, 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Manganese. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamberlain Manganese District | Manganese | Unknown | ||
| Glaus Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Milwaukee Rr Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 66 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Oacoma in 66 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 44 thunderstorm wind, 18 hail, 2 flash flood, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2009 | Flood | Oacoma | $5,000 | The White River rose above the flood stage of 15 feet near Oacoma in the late afternoon hours of February 11th. The White River crested at 17.64 feet around noon on February 13th before it fell below flood stage in the mid morning hours of the 15th. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | A measured wind gust of 72 mph was recorded at the South Dakota State University mesonet weather station near Oacoma. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | The public observed that wind-driven hail stripped siding from a house. In addition, barn doors were blown off and cattle were forced through a fence and out onto the road. |
| July 2025 | Tornado (EF0) | Oacoma | - | A waterspout observed northeast of Oacoma on the Missouri River. |
| August 2025 | Hail | Oacoma | - | Hail measuring one inch in diameter was reported nine miles southwest of Oacoma. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Oacoma | - | Emergency Management reported several county roads under as much as 3 to 4 feet of water. Additionally, runoff from an estimated three to five inches of rain caused the White River near Oacoma to crest at 16.07 ft at 215am CST. Minor flooding of agricultural land was observed in association with this river flooding. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | A South Dakota Mesonet weather station recorded a wind gust of 62 mph. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | A semi was tipped over on Instate 90. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | A trained spotter reported tree damage, downed powerlines, tipped over campers, and roof damage in and around Oacoma. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | A vehicle was damaged when an estimated seventy mph wind blew a sign into it. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | Estimated seventy mph winds knocked over a camper on Interstate-90. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | A semi was blown off the road near Oacoma. |
| June 2018 | Flash Flood | Oacoma | - | Flash flooding from heavy rains occurred east of Oacoma with parts of roads underwater. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | Sixty-five mph winds were estimated. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | Estimated seventy mph winds occurred at Oacoma. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | Estimated eighty mph winds caused damage to the roof of a hotel along with snapping a street sign off. A freeway boom was also snapped. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | An estimated 60 mph wind gust was reported by a trained spotter along with heavy rainfall. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | Damaging winds overturned two campers, took off part of a house addition, and blew a boat away from a mooring and up against the rocks. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | Seventy mph winds were estimated. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | A few power lines and poles were downed by eighty mph winds. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | Winds snapped a six inch diameter tree off at its base. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | Six trees 25 foot tall and a foot in diameter had the tops snapped off. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | Seventy mph winds brought down many large tree branches. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| September 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| August 2017 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| September 2010 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oacoma | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance | 12.4 miles | 8 | |
| Iona | 17.5 miles | 11 | |
| Lyman | 19.1 miles | 8 | |
| Lower Brule | 21.9 miles | 8 | |
| Council House | 22.0 miles | 8 | |
| Kennebec | 25.8 miles | 8 | |
| Presho | 36.0 miles | 6 | |
| Vivian | 48.4 miles | 6 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Oacoma | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2237953 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1265308. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






